Garment hanger



Jan. 16, 1940- R. VON KNOPKE GARMENT HANGER Filed April 10, 1939 Patented Jan. 16, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to garment hangers, and more particularly concerns the provision of novel means for adjustably holding a pair of garment hangers together to clamp and support garments 5 therebetween, and to afford other advantages in the use of such hangers.

One object of the invention is to provide adjustable holding means for the aforesaid purposes in the form of simple and inexpensive clips which may be easily and quickly applied to a pair of garment hangers of the type usually constructed of stiff wire and often provided by laundering, cleaning, and pressing establishments in retuming renovated and reconditioned garments to their owners. It is well known that, while garment hangers of this type may satisfactorily serve the temporary use for which they are intended, they are not suitable for supporting garments for a continued length of time, principally because they cause the formation of creases in the garments thrown thereover. Where upper garments are thrown over the upper parts of the single wire hanger, the collars and shoulders of such garments will soon become deformed, and where lower garments are thrown over the lower horizontal member of a single wire hanger, creases will develop in a short time. A second object of my invention is to provide for the combined use of a pair of garment hangers in a manner to avoid these objections.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a perspective view, illustrating two garment hangers of well known form connected together by a pair of clips constructed and applied according to one form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, illustrating upon an enlarged scale one of the clips shown in Figure 1; and

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are enlarged scale perspective views, showing different forms of clips constructed according to my invention.

. In'Figure l, I have shown a pair of wire garment hangers. I and 2, of similar and well known construction, each triangular in shape, having a hook 3 at its apex. slanting upper members 44, and a horizontally extending lower member 5. Two clips 6-6 are illustrated in position upon the lower members 5-5 of the two hangers, connecting them together and clamping a garment I therebetween. The garment 1 may be a pair of trousers, a lady's skirt, or any other garment which may be suspended in the manner shown to hang free, without mussing or creasing. Where a hanger-supporting rod is provided, the hooks 5 3-3 and upper members 44 of the two hangers may be separated at the top a suflicient distance, as indicated, to afford in effect a wider supporting surface for the garment or garments to be thrown over and supported upon the upper members. Such an arrangement affords a double support for upper garments which will avoid the aforementioned creasing and deforming of the collars and shoulders of such garments, and the combined strength of the two hangers will support heavier garments, such as overcoats, the weight of the garment or garments I supported by the horizontal lower members -5 preventing the hooks 3-3 and the slanting upper members 4-4 from being drawn together along the supporting rod by the weight of the garment or garments supported upon such upper members.

In the several forms of clips I have shown, each is constructed to provide for its adjustment upon the hangers to exert the desired degree of clamping action upon the garment or garments held between the horizontal members 5-5. To this end, each clip is provided with a plurality of sockets or recesses so spaced and arranged with respect to each other that they may be selectively used to accommodate garments of different thicknesses and apply different degrees of clamping action thereupon.

The clip 6 (Figures 1 and 2) is preferably constructed of a fiat strip of stiff spring-material doubled upon itself in a series of return bends. As shown, the upper turn of each double-bend is formed as a rounded socket 8, and the lower parts of each double-bend are flared apart, as at 9, so that each socket of the clip may be snapped over one of the hanger-members 5-5. In applying this form of clip, the garment l is pressed between the horizontal members 55 and the clips 6-6 are then snapped in position over the said members and moved therealong close to the garment. The clamping pressure is thus provided by the spring action of the clips close to the garment, without undue strain upon and consequent bowing or bending of the horizontal members. The thickness of the garment or garments l is accommodated and the desired degree of clamping action is adiustably applied by selective employment of the sockets 88 of the clips.

Clips Ill (Figure 3) and II (Figure 4) are sufliciently alike in their socket-arrangements to permit a description of one to suflice for both in this respect. These clips are also preferably constructed of flat strips of stiff spring-material and therefore possess a certain amount of elasticity, but, in the closely grouped arrangement of the sockets therein, the elastic feature has been subordinated to the feature of adjustability. Two pairs of oppositely disposed sockets, l2-l2 and I3-l3, are so arranged with respect to each other as to provide for a plurality of adjustments of the clips upon the hangers. The sockets I2-l2 of the upper pair are closer together than are those of the lower pair I3-I3, and the distance between one of the upper pair and one of the lower pair may be greater or less than the distance between the sockets of either pair, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, respectively. In applying these clips, the garment or garments I will be held pressed between the hangermembers 5-5 and each clip passed over both of said members through the opening l4, turned to engage any two of the sockets with said members, and moved up close to the garment. If the tightest clamping action and closest arrangement of the hanger-members 5-5 are desired, the two sockets of the upper pair l2-I2 are employed. If a firm clamping and wider spacing of the members is desired, one or the other of the sockets I2-l2 may be engaged with one of the members 5-5 and one or the other of the sockets l3-I3 may be engaged with the other of said members. If a more elastic clamping action and still different spacing of the members 5-5 should be desired, the two sockets of the lower pair l3-l3 are employed.

Clip II (Figure 4), in addition to its usefulness as a means for adjustably holding the horizontal members 5-5 of the two hangers together in the manner just described, may be employed in combination with one or both of the hangers for supporting lighter weight articles of such texture and shape as would not require the use of the two hangers as clamps. The two endparts of the strip of spring-material of which this clip is constructed are extended from the lower pair of sockets l3-l3 to form spring gripping fingers I 5-l5. I have illustrated these fingers as having smooth opposing faces, with the ends outwardly flared, to facilitate slipping of the fingers over the horizontal members 5-5 and also over garments of thin or fragile material, or other articles, such as for example handkerchiefs and hosiery, without injury to the goods. Of course, if desired, the opposing faces of the fingers may be serrated by crimping the springmaterlal, in which case the fingers should be first forced apart to receive or release the article to be supported. This may be obviously accomplished by inserting and twisting any blade-like device between the upper parts of the fingers, as I have indicated in dotted lines at IS.

The clip l1, shown in Figure 5, is preferably constructed of cast metal, as I have indicated the solid form thereof in full lines in the drawtwo hangers, as hereinbefore mentioned in describing the application of the other forms of clips, clip I! is applied, mouth downwards, over the two members 5-5 and the first or axial socket I8 is hooked over one of said members. Although, upon release, the clip will probably drop of its own weight and latch the proper socket over the other member, it may be tightened by turning it about the member 5 occupying socket 18 and thereby employing the corrugated inner cam-like face to draw the members 5-5 of the two hangers together until the desired degree of clamping action is applied upon the garment I.

I claim:

1. The combination, with a pair of garment hangers each having a horizontally extending member, of means adjustably connecting said hangers together to clamp and support a garment between the horizontally extending members thereof, said means comprising a clip formed with a plurality of open sockets selectively applicable to partially surround each of said members with one of said sockets.

2. The combination, with a pair of garment hangers each having a horizontally extending member, of means adjustably and elastically connecting said hangers together to clamp and support a garmentbetween the horizontally extending members thereof, said means comprising a clip constructed of a fiat strip of springmaterial formed with a plurality of open sockets selectively applicable to partially surround each of said members with one of said sockets.

3. The combination, with a pair of garment hangers each having a horizontally extending member, of means adjustably and elastically connecting said hangers together to clamp and support a garment between the horizontally extending members thereof, said means comprising a clip constructed of a flat strip of spring-material formed with two pairs of oppositely disposed open sockets selectively applicable to partially surround each of said members with one of said sockets, and having the end-parts of said strip extending in close parallel arrangement to form spring clamping fingers.

ROBERT VON KNOPKE.

Ill 

